How much do cad technicians make in 2026?
CAD technicians are counted in the BLS architectural and civil drafters series, where OEWS May 2025 reports a national median of $66,150 a year ($31.80 an hour) for SOC 17-3011, a bottom 10% near $46,260 and a top 10% at $99,710 across 103,700 workers. This site publishes several records against that code. The title CAD technician is used across many disciplines, and the discipline explains the pay better than the software skill does. Civil technicians producing site grading, utility and roadway drawings work with survey data, alignments and profiles and are in steady demand because infrastructure work is funded. Structural technicians detailing steel and concrete need genuine understanding of connections and reinforcement, and that knowledge is scarce. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing technicians modelling building services are the tightest market of all, because coordinating services in a congested ceiling is difficult and there are far fewer people who can do it than firms who need it. Architectural technicians sit around the median. Across all disciplines the same rule applies as elsewhere in this field: technicians who understand what they are drawing — how it is fabricated, installed or built — are worth considerably more than those who are simply proficient with the software. Employment is projected to grow 4.1% through 2034 with roughly 10,000 openings a year. → Full cad technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $66,150 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- CAD Technicians earn a national median $66,150/yr ($31.80/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-3011); the P10 to P90 range is $46,260 to $99,710.
- Discipline explains pay better than software skill: mechanical, electrical and plumbing services modelling is the tightest market, with structural detailing close behind.
- Civil technicians working with survey data, alignments and utilities are in steady demand because infrastructure work is funded independently of the commercial cycle.
- Across every discipline the differentiator is understanding what is being drawn — how it is fabricated, installed or built — rather than software proficiency alone.
US CAD Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do cad technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 17-3011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-3011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a cad technician earn at each career stage?
CAD technician pay follows discipline knowledge more than tool proficiency. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 17-3011.
By State
Which states pay cad technicians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national drafter median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Technical drawing work is readily performed remotely, so discipline expertise carries more weight than location for this occupation.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($76,070), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay cad technicians the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Engineering consultancies and contractors concentrate in metros, though a substantial share of this work is now remote.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a cad technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does cad technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. CAD Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify cad technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a cad technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
CAD Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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